Gather - Cognigy Documentation

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The gather verb is used to collect DTMF or speech input.

{
  "verb": "gather",
  "actionHook": "http://example.com/collect",
  "input": ["digits", "speech"],
  "bargein": true,
  "dtmfBargein": true,
  "finishOnKey": "#",
  "numDigits": 5,
  "timeout": 8,
  "recognizer": {
    "vendor": "Google",
    "language": "en-US",
    "hints": ["sales", "support"],
    "hintsBoost": 10
  },
  "say": {
    "text": "To speak to Sales press 1 or say Sales. To speak to Customer Support press 2 or say Support",
    "synthesizer": {
      "vendor": "Google",
      "language": "en-US",
      "voice": "en-US-Wavenet-F"
    }
  }
}

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Configuration

The following table lists the available parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description	Required
actionHook	string \| object	A webhook to receive an HTTP POST with the collected digits or speech. The payload includes a `speech` or `dtmf` property along with the standard attributes.	No
actionHookDelayAction	object	Configures a delayed action hook behavior. See config for details.	No
bargein	boolean	Enables a speech barge-in, which pauses audio playback if the caller starts speaking.	No
dtmfBargein	boolean	Enables a DTMF barge-in, which pauses audio playback if the caller enters DTMF tones.	No
fillerNoise	object	Configures a filler noise (background audio) while waiting for input. See config for details.	No
finishOnKey	string	The DTMF key that signals the end of input.	No
input	array	An array specifying the allowed types of input: `['digits']`, `['speech']`, or `['digits', 'speech']`. The default value is `['digits']`.	No
interDigitTimeout	number	The time to wait between digits after `minDigits` have been entered.	No
listenDuringPrompt	boolean	If `false`, the system won’t listen for user speech until the `say` or `play` verb completes. The default value is `true`.	No
minBargeinWordCount	number	If `bargein` is `true`, stops the playback only after this many words are spoken. The default value is `1`.	No
minDigits	number	The minimum number of DTMF digits expected. The default value is `1`.	No
maxDigits	number	The maximum number of DTMF digits expected.	No
numDigits	number	The exact number of DTMF digits expected.	No
partialResultHook	string \| object	A webhook that receives POST requests with interim transcription results. Partial transcriptions are only generated if this property is set.	No
play	object	A nested `play` verb used to prompt the user.	No
recognizer	object	Contains configuration options for the speech recognition engine. This includes language selection, hints, diarization, and other advanced settings.	No
recognizer.vendor	string	The speech recognition provider to use, for example, Google, Amazon, or Azure. The vendor determines transcription quality, supported languages, and feature availability.	Yes
recognizer.label	string	A custom label to identify this recognizer instance in logs or dashboards. Helpful when multiple recognizers are configured.	No
recognizer.language	string	The primary language code for transcription, for example, `en-US` for English, `fr-FR` for French. Determines how speech is interpreted.	No
recognizer.hints	array	An array of words or phrases that may appear in the audio and should be recognized more accurately. Useful for domain-specific terms, names, or technical vocabulary.	No
recognizer.hintsBoost	number	A numeric value specifying how strongly the recognizer should prioritize the hint words. Higher numbers give stronger emphasis, improving accuracy for key terms.	No
recognizer.altLanguages	array	An array of additional language codes that the recognizer can use for multilingual audio. Allows recognition of mixed-language content.	No
recognizer.profanityFilter	boolean	If `true`, the recognizer will automatically remove or mask profanity from the transcription output.	No
recognizer.interim	boolean	If `true`, returns partial transcription results as the audio is being processed. Useful for live captions or real-time feedback.	No
recognizer.punctuation	boolean	If `true`, punctuation marks, for example, periods or commas, are included in the transcription to improve readability.	No
recognizer.diarization	boolean	If `true`, enables speaker diarization, which assigns segments of the transcript to individual speakers.	No
recognizer.diarizationMinSpeakers	number	The minimum number of speakers expected in the audio. Helps the diarization algorithm distinguish between speakers accurately.	No
recognizer.diarizationMaxSpeakers	number	The maximum number of speakers expected in the audio. Prevents the algorithm from splitting speech unnecessarily.	No
recognizer.vad	object	Voice Activity Detection settings. Determines how the system detects when someone is speaking vs. silence, improving transcription timing and accuracy.	No
recognizer.fallbackVendor	string	Specifies an alternative transcription vendor to use if the primary vendor fails. Ensures reliability in critical workflows.	No
recognizer.fallbackLanguage	string	Language code to use for the fallback vendor. Must match a language supported by the fallback provider.	No
say	object	A nested `say` verb used to prompt the user.	No
speechTimeout	number	The time in seconds to wait for speech input before timing out.	No
timeout	number	The total time in seconds to wait for input before timing out.	No

Example

When speech input is used, the actionHook payload contains a speech object with the response from the speech provider, such as Google Speech.

"speech": {
                "stability": 0,
                "is_final": true,
                "alternatives": [{
                    "confidence": 0.858155,
                    "transcript": "sales please"
                }]
            }

In the case of digits input, the payload includes a digits property indicating the DTMF keys pressed:

"digits": "0276"

More Information

Last modified onJune 10, 2026.